Tornado Survival Tips

Darden
describes a family of five who lived on a farm outside of Higdon, Ala.,
a small community in the northern part of the state. They had no storm
shelter, but they did live in a home that he says was well built.On Saturday, Darden and a partner visited the family. "The mother
and three daughters were there at the time," he recalls. Looking at the
wall-free ground floor—all that remained of the home—"I introduced
myself and said: Thank God y'all were not home. "Her response? "Oh, we
were here." With no storm shelter and nothing but a slab foundation
left, "I really thought she was joking," he continues. "I asked: Where
were you at?"She led the two men to a spot on the storm-swept slab, where
nothing but a small patch of hardwood flooring and a scrap of carpeting
remained—parts of each pulled up by the tornado. The rest of the
flooring vanished into the vortex and hasn't been found. The patch is
all that was left of the interior hallway in which the family huddled.
"They were not touched," he says, in a voice tinged with amazement.
"They were not sucked up. They didn't have a scratch on them." — Pete
Spotts, “Lessons From the Wreckage: How Alabama Could Help Tornado
Preparedness,” Christian Science Monitor, May 4, 2011
Who could not be shocked and saddened by the images of massive
devastation left in the wake of recent tornadoes that struck in Oklahoma
and Texas? Though nothing can guarantee absolute safety in the path of a
tornado, outside of a shelter with reinforced concrete and steel walls,
understanding something about the nature of tornadoes, safety tips for
surviving a tornado strike, and which common folklore is to be trusted
or ignored, will improve your chances for making the right decision when
confronted by a tornado.
Tornado Facts and Myths
• It is commonly believed that tornadoes happen mostly in the spring,
but the peak of tornado season varies with location, and tornadoes can
occur any month of the year. For example, the peak of tornado season in
the northern plains and upper Midwest is June or July but it is from May
to early June in the southern plains, and even earlier in the spring
for the Gulf Coast.
• There is a myth that tornadoes can only spawn and strike in
relatively flat areas, but they have actually occurred in high areas of
the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and Appalachian Mountains. Though
more frequent in the flatter areas of the plains states and the
southeast, tornadoes have been spotted in such varied locations as
Vermont, upstate New York, Nevada, and one hiker spotted and
photographed a tornado at 12,000 feet in the Sequoia National Park of
California.
• A common myth is that trailer parks attract tornadoes. They
certainly do not attract tornadoes, but due to their light weight and
lack of heavy-duty anchoring to strong structural foundations, trailers
are extremely vulnerable to damage from tornadoes.
• Another common myth is that you should open your windows to allow
the pressure to equalize should a tornado strike your home. Do not waste
your time opening windows. If a tornado strikes, it will blow out the
windows, and the last place you should be is near a window, where there
is the greatest danger from flying debris and glass.
• There is a common myth that owing to the direction of rotation of
tornadoes in the Northern Hemisphere the southwest corner of a building
is the safest place to be. This myth is totally false. Corners are areas
of buildings that are most prone to damage. The safest areas are in the
center of the building in a windowless room or closet, and on the
lowest level (in the basement if there is one).
• There is a common myth that highway overpasses provide protection
from tornadoes. In fact, the underside of a highway overpass often acts
as a wind tunnel, channeling high winds and debris, and there are a
number of reported deaths of people who parked under an overpass while
seeking shelter from approaching tornadoes.
Tornado Prediction and Warnings
A tornado watch is issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) when
they have determined that local conditions are ripe for generating
tornadoes. Once a tornado watch has been issued, it is advisable to stay
tuned to your local radio and television stations for further updates.
If you live in tornado country, the use of a NOAA weather radio is
highly recommended, especially those models that have a battery backup
and can emit an audible warning whenever a severe weather alert is
issued. This is the time to turn on the audible alarm switch on your
NOAA radio to alert you if the watch is upgraded to a warning. Once a
tornado watch has been issued, stay alert using your eyes, ears, and
other senses to watch for signs of an approaching tornado, and make sure
you have access to a safe shelter. Watch for unusual behavior on the
part of pets and animals that might be an indication of an approaching
tornado.
Once a tornado has been spotted visually, or on weather radar, a
tornado warning is issued. Once a warning has been issued, you should
take immediate precautions and seek shelter. If you live in a mobile
home or other poorly protected building, you should seek shelter
elsewhere, if possible. Bring your radio with you to listen for status
updates and an “all-clear” signal when the warning is over.
Note: Sirens and severe weather alerts may provide advance tornado
warnings, but tornadoes can occur in any season and without warning!
Tornado Survival Tips and Strategies
• If you are at home, seek shelter in the bottommost floor, and
innermost area, such as an inner hallway, bathroom, or closet. Stay away
from windows, outer walls, and building corners. Do not waste time
opening windows.
• If you have a “safe room” (a specially constructed room protected
by reinforced concrete and/or steel), a basement, root cellar, or storm
cellar, those are the safest places to be. In the basement, the safest
place is under a sturdy table or mattress, and in a position that is not
directly below heavy items on the floor above, such as a refrigerator
or piano.
• Protect yourself as best as possible. Wear a bicycle or hockey
helmet, if you have one. Crouching in a bathtub or shower stall can
provide improved protection, as can lying under a sturdy table or
overturned couch.
• If you are in a car, do not try to outrun a tornado as it can
travel at speeds in excess of 70 mph. However, it is worth taking a
moment to watch the tornado closely, comparing its motion to a fixed
object on the ground, so as to gauge its direction of travel. If you see
it moving to one side or the other, and can travel in the opposite
direction, then do so. If it does not appear to move to the left or
right, it is headed straight for you. In that case, you must make a
decision. If you have the option of traveling to the right or left, then
do so, but if you are stuck in traffic, or the tornado is very close,
you must abandon your vehicle and seek shelter, since tornadoes can
easily pick up cars and even tractor trailers, sometimes throwing them
hundreds of yards. If possible, pull your car to the side of the road
and do not park in lanes of traffic, since with the heavy rains that
often accompany tornadoes, a driver traveling at high speeds might not
see your car parked in the middle of the road.
• If you are stuck in your car with an impending tornado strike,
crouch down as low as you can, with your seatbelt buckled, staying away
from the windows, and shielding your head with your arms and hands.
• If you are in the open, perhaps having abandoned your car, seek
shelter in a building or culvert, or lie down flat in a ditch or
depression and cover your head with your hands. Not a pleasant thought,
but people have survived tornadoes by doing this! Stay away from cars
and trees, since they will become heavy flying objects with the power to
kill and maim.
• Do not park under an overpass, since these tend to act as wind tunnels funneling debris and magnifying winds.
• Avoid shopping malls, theatres, gymnasiums, and other buildings
with large open interior spaces where the roof might easily collapse. If
inside of such a building, with no time to seek shelter elsewhere, seek
shelter under a doorjamb or next to an interior wall that may provide
some structural support and protection in the event of a building
collapse.Photo by Fotolia/Minerva StudioThis article is adapted fromWhen Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survivalby Matthew SteinMatthew Stein is a design engineer, green builder, and author of
two bestselling books: When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide to
Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival (Chelsea Green 2011), and When
Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and
Surviving the Long Emergency (Chelsea Green 2008). Stein is a graduate
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he majored in
Mechanical Engineering. Stein has appeared on numerous radio and
television programs and is a repeat guest on Fox News, Coast-to-Coast
AM, Alex Jones’ Infowars, Vince Finelli’s USA Prepares, and The Power
Hour. He is an active mountain climber, serves as a guide and instructor
for blind skiers, has written several articles on the subject of
sustainable living, and is a guest columnist for the Huffington Post.www.whentechfails.com andwww.matstein.com

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.Benjamin FranklinOne has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.Martin Luther King

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."Abraham Lincoln

“If tyranny and oppression come to this land it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”James Madison